Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Understanding Brother_l
Translator: 549690339
As summer gave way to autumn and flowers bloomed and withered, the summer holidays passed and the autumn semester at the academy began.
Accompanied by Su Hu and his wife, Sister Qiao went to study in the county town. Doudou took a boat across the river to attend classes in the academy on the opposite bank.
Su Qingluo stayed at home to take care of two young colts. Without the constraints of her parents, she enjoyed a life of freedom.
Riding the colts through the mountains and forests, her laughter as clear as silver bells echoed throughout every corner of Woniu Village.
It took Su Hu and his wife five days to accompany Sister Qiao to the county town, see her settled into school, and return home. The journey was long and arduous.
With their parents away, nine-year-old Su Zixuan took upon himself the responsibility of cooking and taking care of his younger sister.
Su Zixuan was thoughtful and mature for his age, and when it was just the two of them in the house, he managed to keep everything clean and tidy while looking after his sister dutifully.
Each morning, he would steam a bowl of egg custard and wake his sister from her sleepy slumber. Only after watching her finish breakfast would he board the boat to cross the river and attend classes at the academy.
At noon, when the academy let out, he would waste no time, grab his schoolbag, and dash towards the ferry. He would buy a few buns from the ferry store to bring back for their lunch.
In the afternoon, after school let out, he would hurry home as quickly as possible.
Occasionally, when the master experienced difficulties teaching lessons and punished students by keeping them late, the image of his sister sitting in the courtyard with her small face in her hands, her hungry little tummy rumbling as she eagerly awaited his return would make him anxious and frustrated, wishing he could sneak home right away.
That day, a fellow student had been fooling around in class, and the master flew into a rage. He punished everyone by making them copy poems a hundred times, stating that they couldn’t leave until they were finished.
Su Zixuan forced himself to remain calm, writing as quickly as possible. He managed to submit his punishment work before dark and, with the master’s permission, finally left school for the day.
There were many people taking the boat across the river at sunset; laborers who had been working all day, their exhausted bodies longing for the comfort of home to rest and recuperate.
After paying the boat fare, Su Zixuan queued up and waited patiently to board the boat. By the time it was his turn to board, the ferryman had made him pay another fare because someone else’s luggage had taken up too much space in the cabin. Only then did the boat finally depart.
This squabble had wasted even more precious time. The sun had already set and darkness enveloped the sky when the boat finally set off on its journey.
Worried that his sister would be waiting for him all alone, he looked at the seemingly endless dark river and hoped the boat would move faster.
Finally, they arrived at the other side. Before the boat had even come to a complete stop, Su Zixuan leaped off, his small frame slipping through the crowd, only to hear his sister’s sweet voice calling out “Brother!”
He looked up, following the sound of her voice, and saw Su Qingluo standing on the riverbank with the two colts, waving her hands and smiling brightly at him.
“Sister Yu!”
At that moment, Su Zixuan’s eyes reddened. He hadn’t expected his sister to come and wait for him at the ferry, especially when it was already so dark. The thought of how scared and helpless his little sister must’ve felt waiting there alone made his heart ache.
With this in mind, he hurried towards her, scooped her up in his arms as soon as he reached her, his nose tingling and his eyes filling with tears.
“Brother, let’s ride the horses home,” said his sister, her voice as sweet as honey.
Her cheerful, innocent words chased away the gloom that had been weighing on his heart.
“I don’t know how to ride a horse,” said Su Zixuan, his baby-faced cheeks flushing red as he released his embrace.
It was true. He had spent the entire summer break trying to bond with Black Wind, but his efforts had been in vain. Every time he tried to climb onto the horse’s back, Black Wind would rear up with all four hooves, kicking him away without hesitation..
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